Voting-machine.



Patented July 2, 1912.

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VOTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 29, 1899.

Patented July 2, 1912.

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A. MQKENZIE.

VOTING MACHINE.

APPLIOATIOII FILED AUG. 29, 1899.

Patented July 2, 1912.

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' A. MCKENZIE.

VOTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 29, 1899.

Patented July .2, 1912.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANGUS MCKENZIE, OF JAMES'IOWN, NEVJ YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO EMPIRE VOTING MACHINE COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORA- TION OF NEW YORK.

VOTING-MACHINE.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Axons MCKENZIE, a citizen of Canada, residing at Jamestown, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Voting-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved voting machine whereby a voter can cast his ballot on the machine and the counters on the machine will automatically count the votes as rapidly as they are cast. I further provide improved means whereby the keys in each channel are interlocked with each other so that if the channel is set as a single candidate group and one of the keys has been voted, none of the remaining keys in that channel can be shoved in by the voter, and I further provide improved means whereby the parallel channels may be thrown together to any extent in a multicandidate group, so that when a number of keys according to the size of the group have been voted, none of the remaining keys in that group can be operated, and these means permits all these keys to be voted in one channel and all of them to be voted simultaneously or consecutively, or all of them to be voted in different channels, either si multaneously or consecutively. And I further provide means whereby the counter is kept locked at all times and also provide positive resetting means which are operated by the voter after voting to complete the registration of his vote and reset and lock the voting mechanisms.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical transverse section through a channel of my improved voting machine, in which the keys and counters and interlocking and resetting means are shown. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the interlocking system which I use, showing the spear heads by which the interlocking is communicated from one channel to another. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of my machine, showing how the resetting bar is operated to reset the keys and lock the same. Fig. 4: is a detailed view of these resetting means. Fig. 5 is a view of these resetting means in cross Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 29, 1899.

Patented Ju1y2,1912.

Serial No. 728,892.

section. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the resetting means.

Reference numeral 1 refers to the voting keys which project beyond the key plate and are capable of an inward movement to move the counter-actuator and interlocking means.

2 refers to the counter-actuator, one of which is provided in connection wit-h each key to operate the counter of that key.

3 refers to the counter of the key.

The counter-actuator is provided with an opening, 4:, and slots 5 and 6. The counteractuator is provided with the teeth 7 and 8. As the counter-actuator moves in when it is pushed in by the key, as is shown at the bottom in Fig. 1, the tooth 7 strikes one of the teeth of the four-pointed star, 9, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and imparts a part of a fourth of a revolution to it. This fourpointed star is carried on the transfer shaft of the counter and has positively connected to it a gear wheel, 10, of eight teeth, such as is shown in Fig. 1. This gear wheel 10 in turn meshes with the units wheel 11 of the counter, which has on one side of its periphery twenty teeth. The forward and back ward movement of the counter-actuator to register a complete vote moves the fourpoint star through a quarter of a revolution and through the gearing moves the units counter wheel 11 through a tenth of a revolution, thus registering one complete vote on the decimal counter. The units wheel in turn, has the recesses 12 on the opposite side from the gears which cooperates with the mutilated gear transfer wheel to communicate the motion of the units wheel to the tens wheel of the counter once in every complete revolution, and holds it locked against movement at all times, except at the moment of transfer in the well known way of any Geneva stop movement counter.

The counter-actuator is held in fixed relation with its counter partly by means of the slot 6 which embraces the shaft 13, which carries the counter wheels, and partly by a slot through the plate 1 f on which the machine is built. This plate runs the whole length of the machine and has a slot in it for every counter-actuator thatpasses through it, so that by means of the slots in this plate and the shafts which carry the counters, the counter-actuators are guided and held in fixed relation with their counters. The counter-actuator is also provided with a vertical slot 5, in which slot moves a pin, 15, which connects the links 16 of the toggle locking system. By reason of the engagement of the pin with this slot when the counter-actuator is shoved in, the joint of the toggle is moved from the position shown in the upper part of Fig. 1 to that shown at the bottom of Fig. 1, thus straightening the toggle and lengthening the distance between the joints 17 and 18 of each pair of toggles. The bottom of the toggle interlocked is originally fastened to a lug 19 carried on the plate 1 1, so that when the toggles are straightened as shown at the bottom of Fig. 1, the toggles above the key shoved in are all raised, and in so doing the pin 15 on each pair of toggles moves transversely along the slot 5 of the actuator to which it is connected. A guide 16 is provided for the upper toggle link 16. This guide also serves as a lock, as it is too small to permit the joint of the toggle to pass therethrough or a pin may be placed in the upper link for the same purpose. On top of the row of toggles in each channel is carried a spear head 19 which is shown in Fig. 2. This spear head is joined to the top link of the toggle 20 by means of the pivot 21 in such 4 a way that it can swing transversely of the toggles or longitudinally of the machine. This spear head in turn engages with the blocks 22 which are carried in the channel. 23, which channel runs the whole length of the machine. The blocks 22 are held to a fixed position by means of a pin 24 which passes through the channel and through a hole in the middle of the block and holds said block in fixed relation to the channel and to the spear head. hen two adjoining blocks are fastened in that position, it is my intention to leave sufficient room hetween the spear head and the two adjoining blocks to permit of the insertion of one of the keys and the straightening of one pair of toggles. These will raise the spear head a predetermined distance and bring it close against the adjoining blocks, which will prevent the straightening of another pair of toggles and the insertion of another key. By removing a pin 24, another key may be inserted so that the spear head will then be raised two steps instead of one, in which case the adjoining spear head cannot be raised at all, as the spear head in moving up shoves the block, which has been loosened by withdrawing the pin 24:, over tight against the spear head which has not been moved, and prevents it from being moved at all. It will be seen also that one key may be inserted in each channel, in which case each spear head will be lifted one step, in which case both will be locked against further movement, so that my interlocking spear heads will take up all the loose space in the channel, preventing the further movement of any of the spear heads. The spear heads are all uniform throughout the machine, and the angle of them is so proportionate that a vertical lift of the spear head will always cause a predetermined displacement of the blocks in the upper channel.

and this displacement will be practically uniform for each consecutive step to which the spear head may be lifted, so that if a spear head is lifted through three or four consecutive steps, it will displace the blocks of the upper channel as much, and no more, during its last step than it did during the first.

In order to provide for grouping any number of channels, it will be necessary to make the slots 5 in the counter-actuators of sufficient lengthto permit the insertion of all the keys in the channel, and thus the actuator at the bottom of each channel need have a slot which is sufliciently long to permit the raising of its pin as the bottom link which carries it swings radially. The second actuator from the bottom must have a slot which will permit the lifting of its pin through an equal distance, plus the distance it would be raised by straightening the lowest pair of toggles, and the third must have a slot which would be sufficiently long to permit the raising of its pin the same distance plus the distance taken up by straightening the two pairs of toggles below it, and so on clear to the top, the slot in the top counter-actuator being of necessity of sufficient length to permit of the raising of its pin through 61* steps substantially, if all seven keys can be voted at one time. As shown in Fig. 1, the slot of the top actuator is sufficiently large to accommodate a multicandidate group of three, but the principle is the same no matter what the size of the multi-candidate group is, except that if the multi-candidate group exceeds seven, the slot of the top actuator need be only of sulficient length to permit the insertion of all seven keys in that group. Thus, the counter-actuators and the voting keys are always positively in an engagement with the inter locking mechanism and are controlled by it. To provide for resetting the voting mechanism, I provide a universal bar 25 for each vertical row of keys to complete the forward movement of the counter-actuator, if

that has not been accomplished by the voter, to reset and lock the counter-actuators and voting keys against movement and reset the interlocking mechanism. This universal bar carries pins 26, which move in guides 27 in the plat 28, which plates are originally fastened to the main plate 14 of the machine by braces 29 at both the top and bottom. The universal bar 25 carries a series of recesses and lugs for the purpose which will now be explained. The plate 28 is provided with a number of pivots, 29, to each of which is pivoted a toggle 30, which in turn has a pivotal connection with the toggle 31, which in turn is pivotally connected to the counter-actuator. lVhen the counter-actuator is shoved in by means of the voting key,

.the toggle links 30 and 31, which are con nected to it, are pulled to the straight position shown at the bottom of Fig. 1, in which 9 case the lip 32 of the toggle 30 is pulled i11- side of the recess 33 so as to engage with the shoulder 34 when the universal bar is lifted, The position in which the universal bar is shown in Fig. 1 is the position to which itis moved to insure the complete movement of the counter-actuator during the resetting movement, in which position it locks all of the counter-actuators and keys against movement which have not been voted. The next movement of this bar is down, and, as it moves down, the lug 35 engages with the end of the toggle 30 and restores it to its initial position, bending the toggle at its joint, which must necessarily shorten the distance between the pivots 29 and 36, which causes the counter-actuator to be pulled back, and with it the voting key is shoved out and restored to normal position. And while the universal bar remains in this position the counter-actuators and voting keys are locked against voting operation. The means by which the movement of the universal bar 25 is secured will nowbe explain-ed, by reference to Figs. 4, 5 and 6.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 5, a series of universal bars 25 are fastened to a single plate 38 and are reciprocated vertically by means of it. This plate 38 lies parallel to and is connected to a plate 39, which is reciprocated longitudinally by means of the arm 40 or stile on the end of the machine in Fig. 3. This arm swings in bearings 41 and 42, which are carried on the end of the machine and at the top it carries a crank pin 43, to which is connected a connecting rod 44. The swinging of the arm 40 forward and back causes a longitudinal movement in the connecting rod which is imparted by means of the pin 45 to the reciprocating plate 39, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. This plate has a series of cams 46 cut therein, by means of which vertical motion is imparted to the plate 38. As the arm swings and moves the pin 45 to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, the plate 39 is moved to the left, and by means of the cams 46, the pins 47 are forced upward from the position shown in Fig. 3 until they reach the top of the slot, and by the further movement of the plate 39 they are again forced down to the end of the short part of the cam slot, and this is the position which these pins and cam slots have when the machine is in condition for voting operation. At this time, the recesses 33 are thrown opposite to the ends of the toggles 30 so that the toggles 30 are swung up in to them without striking the shoulders 34. \Vhen the reverse movement takes place, after the voter has finished voting, the pins are moved from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the top of the slot which lifts the universal bar to the position shown in Fig. 1, and from this position by the further movement of the cam plate 39, the pins are shoved to the bottom of the slot, shoving the plate 38 down with them and carrying all the universal bars to their locked position, resetting all the keys and counter-actuators and holding them locked in that reset position.

In order to prevent the partial or incomplete movement of the arm on the end of the machine by the voter, either before or after voting, I put a full stroke device on it, as shown in Fig. 3, which compels the voter to swing the arm to the end of its stroke before it can be moved in the reverse direction. And I also provide means by which the arm can be locked against the end of the machine in such a position as to lock keys, counteractuators and counters against movement, thus permanently securing the record of the machine against all alteration until the machine is unlocked. It is obvious that the key and the counter-actuator may be made in one piece, but in such case it would be necessary to provide means by which the key would be locked in when it is shoved in, in order to prevent the voter from casting more votes than he would be entitled to. This construction, however, of the key and counteract-uator in one piece, I consider the full equivalent of my invention, as it is merely a matter of preference that the key is separated from the counter-actuator. And, in order that no ambiguity may arise, let me here state that the counter-actuator and the voting key may be considered as a whole and in the claims I will refer to them together as the voting mechanism, in contradistinction with the counters, which will be referred to as the counting or registering mechanism, and the toggles, which will be referred to as the interlocking mechanism.

By reference to Fig. 3 it will be seen that I provide means by which the up and down movement of the plate 38, which carries the universal resetting bars, is secured. This plate is made practically as long as the dis- &

tance between the ends of the machine, or as long as the plate upon which the machine itself is built, so that the ends of the machine act as abutments which prevent plate 38 from having a longitudinal movement. But between these ends the plate may have a vertical movement and, to secure it in a permanent path while it is moving vertically, I provide guides 49 at each end of the machine, so that, while plate 39 is shorter than the interior of the machine, it can reciprocate as it is moved back and forth by means of the connecting rod 44 and pin 45 and, while moving back and forth, the plate 39 communicates to the plate 38 the vertical movement by means of the cam slots 46 in the plate 39 and pins 47 carried by the plate 38, which engage with the cam slots 46. Both of these plates, 38 and 39, are guided in the movements by the plates 50, shown in Figs. 8, 4 and 5. By reference to Fig. 5 it may be seen that these plates are slotted so as to prevent the plate 89 from moving up and down, while the plate 38 is provided with suflicient room to move up and down as the plate 89 moves back and forth.

This machine may be provided with any suitable form of a tree ballot depositing device, such as is shown in any of my pending applications.

It is evident that many changes in the form oi construction and the particular device used may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, as that, as above pointed out, the keys and counteractuators may be made in one piece, that.

any suitable form of resetting mechanism may be employed, and that a system of interlocking wedges and blocks may be used instead of the toggle interlock, etc. It is also evident that to increase the size of single candidate groups the counter-actuators at the top may be made broader, so that the slot with which the interlocking mechanism engages may be made longer to any indefinite extent and the counter-actuators themselves may be placed tarther apart and, instead of increasing the length of the toggles, an idle toggle may be inserted between the two active toggles, which will always lie flat against the plate 14 and may be guided thereby in any suitable manner, so that the size of each single candidate group may be increased to any indefinite extent and the interlocking system will always be in positive engagement with the counter-actuators, no matter how many keys may be voted in each channel. And it will also be seen that, if a series of voting mechanisms are operated in any one channel, the last pair of toggles straightened will raise the spear head as much as and no more than it was raised by the first pair of toggles which was straightened.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and patentable is:

1. In a voting machine, the combination of keys, counters and counter actuators, with toggle interlocking mechanism therefor.

2. In a voting machine, the combination of keys, counters, and counter-actuators, a toggle chain in sliding engagement with said counter-actuators, and toggle levers limiting the movement of said counter-actuators in one direction. V 8. In a voting machine, the combination of keys, counters, counter-actuators, a toggle chain in sliding engagement with said counter actuators, toggle levers connected to said counteractuators, and resetting mechanism for operating said toggle levers.

4. In a voting machine, the combination of counters, counter-actuators, and interlocking mechanism therefor, consisting of a toggle chain in sliding engagement with said counter-actuators.

5. In a voting machine, the combination of counters, counter-actuators, interlocking mechanism therefor, and resetting mecha nism comprising toggle levers, and means for moving said levers.

6. In a voting machine, the combination of counters, counter-actuators, voting keys, an interlocking mechanism and resetting mechanism for restoring the parts operated by the voter to their original position, con sisting of toggle levers one end of which is connected to the counteractuators, respec tively, and a notched reciprocating bar for operating said levers.

In testimony wherof, I atliX my signature, in presence of two witneses.

' ANGUS MQKENZIE.

lVitnesses:

F RANK KEIPER, O. THYAINGE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

